Arranged
by mustlovejosh
Summary: Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen are arranged in marriage. They soon figure out it's for a reason. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

I'm sitting at the kitchen table, silently scanning through a letter that I found in the mail box from our town mayor, Coriolanus Snow. Peeta is seated in the living room, his eyes wondering out the opened window every now and again. There is no telling how many times I have begged him to close the damn thing, it was freezing outside. I'd always end up losing an argument with Peeta. It made me furious.

"Gale's waiting outside." I jump as his voice cuts through the air. It's very calm yet loud as it echos through the previously quiet room. I look over my shoulder at the blonde haired man, he hadn't quite taken a liking to Gale yet, not that he needed to like Gale.

Peeta and I are in an Arranged marriage. Pretty much everyone in town was, except Gale that is. That is why Peeta didn't like him very much, we were put through this while Gale just sat back and watched.

I push the wooden chair I'm in out from under me, my boots not even making a sound as I walk over to Peeta, laying the letter in his lap. "He wants us to come to his office at three," I inform him, knowing that he won't even bother reading it now. "Since I'm not allowed to leave this house alone, I'm assuming that you'll be coming."

He looks up at me, his blue eyes burning holes through my grey ones. "You might want to go outside, wouldn't want to keep Gale waiting," The way he says this makes me feel like I'm getting a slap in the face. It was just like any other time he would say anything about Gale.

I don't say another word, instead, I join the brown headed man outside. He has a smile on his face that I swear reaches all the way up to his ears. And before I can even say 'hello', he has me off my feet, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. "Catnip!" His voice has gotten deeper then I remember it being. His hold has also gotten tighter. "You look amazing, how have you been?" Right then, he sets me back on my feet, and I can't lie, I feel like taking about thirty huge steps away from him right now.

"I've been good," I say this slowly. I somehow can't get the feeling that I have met this Gale before. He used to be my best friend, you'd think that I'd always have the feeling of knowing who he was. His hair was cut shorter then it had been when I last saw him, his skin paler. I had to blink to make sure I was looking at the right person. "How have you been?"

I hadn't seen him since I got married. Snow had many rules for arranged marriages and one of them was not seeing anyone close to you, including friends, parents and siblings. Gale shrugs his shoulders at me, throwing his hands in his pockets. "Same." He gives me a half a smile. "How is Mellark doing?"

My eyes find the open window, my brain remembering that he can hear every word we are saying. Peeta isn't sitting in the living room anymore though, I can see him in some sweat pants and no t-shirt heading into the work out room that we had put it the house. He turns his head, making it where he is looking at me again, as if waiting for my answer. "Fantastic I'm sure." With the look on Peeta's face, I can tell that I said the right thing.

Gale suddenly leans over to me, his lips incredibly close to touching my ear. "You're going to have to go to a shooting range soon," He whispers. "You and Peeta both, you two are both probably rusty." When he pulls back, I hope that he notices the confusion on my face.

Peeta and I were taught how to use guns when we were young, not many other people in town were. The shooting range in town was closed down years ago for that reason, no one shot guns anymore. My father had taught me on his own for years and years until I finally knew how to do it, and to teach someone else if I needed to. "Gale, the shooting range in town is shut down, has been for years," The way I'm talking to him is as if he is a three year old that I needed to slowly speak to.

Gale rolls his eyes at me. "I know that, Catnip," He stares down at his pants pocket, his hand moving around in it, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth with concentration. I start to wonder what he could be doing but I let the thought slip my mind. When he pulls his hand out, a small card is in between two of his fingers. "Haymitch Abernathy, call him. He built one in his old barn, quite a genius I might add."

I hold out my hand and he lays the white card in my palm. I hold it up so I can read the small print. _Haymitch Abernathy's Shooting Range 555-3282. _I stick it into the pocket of Peeta's hoodie that I just happened to be wearing, who knows what Gale was thinking about this. I usually just grab something that is ontop of the dryer, Portia usually folds the clothes and mixes ours together most of the time. "I will call him after I see Snow today, all right?"

He nods his head, absolutely oblivious to what I was just thinking about. "I am heading out to Alabama, I will be sending you and Peeta a letter in a few days, be sure to read it before he does," The seriousness on his face isn't hard to miss so I nod my head, knowing it is the right thing to do.

"Why are you going to Alabama?" I ask tilting my head to the side. Who knows what Gale does now but I expected that he still lived in town, when we were little he said he'd never leave. But I couldn't say anything about it, I said that I was going to live here forever too. But Peeta had been talking about moving for weeks.

Gale clears his throat, running a quick hand through his hair. "Snow will tell you all about it today," He explains moving past me towards the gate. I slowly follow him, wanting to tell him goodbye since there is a very small chance that I will even see him again. Once we are right beside it, Gale turns towards me, pulling me into his arms once again, leaving me on the ground this time. "Wait just a few days, Catnip, the letter will be here soon. Wait for it."

With that, he pulls away from me, slowly jogging across the street to his car. I cross my arms over my chest and watch him drive away, yelling me a quick goodbye out of his rolled down window. I feel the tears that are starting to collect in my eyes. I wipe them away quickly and run towards the house, knowing that if I am caught outside without Peeta, all hell will break loose.

Once I'm inside, I slam the door closed, pressing down on every lock to make sure we don't get an unwanted visitor. I lean back on the door, my head was starting to throb and I wasn't sure why. The picture that hangs on the wall in front of me catches my eye. It's Peeta and I on our wedding day, my younger sister Prim and my mother are standing beside me while my father stands in the back, a huge smile covering his face while a deep frown covers Peeta's mothers.

To be truthful, I wasn't really smiling in the picture either, it was more of a lip biting, offering a small glimpse of my teeth. Peeta's father and brothers are wearing _real_ smiles, along with everyone else. And the person that has the biggest smile, well, that's Peeta. It was always Peeta. In every picture he would smile like he had never smiled before. He was just lucky he actually had a decent smile.

I soon hear his loud footsteps coming towards me, this is why I barley got to test my gun out, Peeta scared off all of the animals before I could shoot them. Then the thought came to mind, I had my arrow somewhere in the attic, I'd have to go get that sometime soon. "Do you miss them?" Whenever Peeta asks a question, you always know he truly wants to know the answer. It brings a smile to my face.

I stare at the photo again, making sure my eyes take it in, making sure it tells me that I knew these people once upon a time. "I miss Prim a lot now a days," I admit, loving the feeling of finally saying it. "I miss my father like crazy, too." I turn towards him, noticing he has a towel wrapped around his neck, his hands holding both of the ends. He is still shirt less, drenched in sweat. "You need to take a shower."

He chuckles and starts climbing the stairs to the bathroom.

* * *

"Peeta and Katniss Mellark for Mayor Snow, please," Peeta says leaning up against the receptionist's desk. She has bright blue hair that is stacked on the top of her head, I have to try my best not to giggle at how silly she really looks. Her head pops up when she hears Peeta's voice, her mouth dropping open when she sees his face.

"Effie Trinket," She holds out her hand to him, her nails long enough to get to China and back. Being Peeta, he accepts it being careful not to get her nail caught in his grasp. "You're Katniss and Peeta Mellark?" She motions between the two of us, her nail almost hitting me in the face. Peeta nods his head while I glare at her. "Wow, I really didn't expect you to look like that." She looks Peeta down and laughs loudly.

I stand here impatiently, waiting on her to stop flirting with Peeta so that we could just get this thing over with. Finally after what feels like hours of showering Peeta with compliments, she lets us know what Snow is ready to see us. "What did you think?" Peeta asks, pushing through door after door to get to Snow's office.

I lift an eyebrow at him. "About what?"

"Effie Trinket," He whispers, looking over his shoulder as if she'd be behind us. "She was a bag full of joy, maybe she can rub off on you. I sure as hell haven't." I look up to find about three camera's motioned down on Peeta and I, it didn't take a genius to know someone was watching us right now and I can bet everything that it is Snow.

Peeta and I walk up to two huge red glass doors, small white roses are painted on the doorknobs. I ball my hand into a fist and reach up to leave a soft knock but before I can, the door is thrown open and Snow is standing right in front of us. There are deep purple bags underneath his eyes from lack of sleep, now I was starting to get worried about why we are here.

His eyes grow wide when he first sees us but he quickly regains composure. "Ah, Katniss and Peeta," Again, he studies the two of us, making me feel suddenly uncomfortable. "Come, come. Have a seat, we have important things to talk about."

I had only been in his office a handful of times and all of those times I left feeling as if all the energy in my body had been taken away. The chairs were a deep blood red, the walls a flawless white, no scratches what so ever. On his desk sits about seven computers, hidden so that Peeta and I can't see what is on them. Peeta pulls me inside, telling me to take a seat. He says this a bit to loudly because Snow turns around, waiting for me to take a seat.

I give him an unsuccessful smile and slip into the cushion, the smell of roses taking over my nostrils. I decide to hold my breath to try and not vomit all over the clean white carpet. Snow sits at his own desk flipping through a file before handing it to Peeta. "You two will read this tonight, then in the morning you will pack up and leave town," Snow says, no trace of humor in his voice. "Gale's letter should come in by then."

A shutter goes through my body, how did he know about that? I know Peeta wants to know what he is talking about but he doesn't look at me, doesn't even send me a glance. Instead, he opens up the folder and the first thing you see is the word zombie in big bold letters. I hold back the urge to laugh, zombies? Was Mayor Snow going crazy?

"What is this?" Peeta finally speaks, amusement is clearly in his voice. The way Snow looks at him sends chills down my spine. "Zombies Mayor Snow? Isn't that like, out of the ordinary?"

Right then I regret not slapping my hand over his mouth, he really needed to stop talking. Snow stands from his chair, walking over to a huge window behind us. My mind is flashing from reality to dream right now, I had no clue what was going on. "You see Mr. Mellark," I can't see Snow at the moment, but I can just picture motioning his hands in the air. "A man tried to find a cure of a sickness in town, he tested it out on animals first, said it worked and we all believed him. Next day, he tested it out on a young boy, Marvel Jameson. His sickness was lifted, his parents said they had never seen him healthier. He went to bed that night and the next morning his mother said he was acting strange, she was walking him to the doctor across the street when he reached out and bit a man on the neck, leaving a huge bite mark."

Peeta and I sit silently, waiting for him to continue. "The man was rushed to the hospital and so was Marvel," The way he says the kids name hurts me, he is acting like it was all his fault. "Later that night the man awoke, the nurse went to take his temperature and he bit her arm, standing up and pinning her to the ground. In the morning, the doctor found her torn apart and left to rot."

Finally, I've had enough. "You're acting like this was their fault!" I scream at him, standing from my seat. "It's because of that ever clever man who made the cure, Mayor Snow! Did he take some himself? Since he has killed how many lives already?" The older man turns towards me, his eyes a dark black.

"Mrs. Mellark, you and Peeta were Arranged for a reason," I look down at Peeta himself, he is watching all of this in horror. "Over the years, many parents decided not to teach their children how to shoot because of the huge protection of the town. Your parents thought it would be better if they taught you, and they were right." I stare at him, how could he just bring up my parents like it was nothing? "You and Peeta were two of the few people in town that know how to shoot, when we found this out, we arranged you two together. We knew this would be coming soon, we had to be prepared."

Peeta stands beside me, ready to speak. "You're saying that all of these years you knew that there were going to be zombies?" He says this calmly, far from how I asked my question. Snow nods. "Can you answer this question for me? Why couldn't you have stopped that man for sending out the cure?" His voice was starting to get higher.

"He tested it on the animal, Mr. Mellark," Snow snaps at him. "You should really listen. He tested it out on the animal and the animal didn't turn flesh eating, so he gave it to a human. He didn't know it would turn into another sickness."

"That is why you try and put more than one animal in a cage!" Peeta yells. I'm not going to lie, it made me jump, Peeta never yells. "I bet you people didn't try that, I bet you all thought one right time would cure everything, turns out you were wrong. Come on Katniss, we are leaving." He grabs my hand and starts to pull me out of the room before Snow grabs his shoulder, pulling him to a stop.

"Mr. Mellark," He says softly. "I'd much rather everyone die, I brought you here because I am very kind. I decided I'd tell you two so you could get a move on, go somewhere safe maybe." My heart is pounding out of my chest, what was he saying? "I'm to nice is what I am, maybe I shouldn't have told you, you're just going to try to save everyone else, your parents," My eyes flicker up to him, I needed to see my parents. "But you know, you're going to die by the end of this."

With that Peeta has had enough. "Thank you, Mayor Snow, you _are_ way to kind," You can hear the sarcasm in his voice as he pulls me out of the room, rushing out of the building. We hear a quick call from Effie, something about why we were in such a hurry.

When Peeta and I are in the car, he has his head on the steering wheel whispering things to himself, or me, I'm not exactly sure. He lifts his head up and this time, I know he is talking to me. "What letter from Gale?" He asks, a small bit of hurt in his tone.

I clear my throat and try to turn away from him, but all I end up doing is staring at him again. "Gale told me he was going to Alabama," I explain. "He told me we would be getting a letter in the mail from him soon, he told me to read it before you do." An unreadable expression flashes over Peeta's face, I have no clue if he is mad or hurt by this.

"Did Gale tell you anything else?"

I stick my hands in Peeta's hoodie and smile when I feel the small piece of paper between my finger tips. Haymitch. "He gave me a card for a man that made his own shooting range in his barn, I'm sure its not fancy, probably the targets are in horse stables." I smile. "But we can give it a try, after all, we are a little rusty."

"All right," He says with a nod of his hand. "Let me see the card."

* * *

**Should I continue or no? Review? **


	2. Chapter 2

Peeta had called Haymitch only hours ago, the man said we should come right away. His house was farther away than I had expected, trees covered most of the area and no other houses were in sight, which I think he likes about the place. From where we are only yards away, I can see his bright red barn. If we hadn't known it was a shooting range, I swear I would have actually thought cows and chickens lived inside.

When we pull up in his drive way, the older man is waiting on his front porch for us, a bottle of vodka in his hand. From where I sit in the car, I can tell he has greasy blonde hair that is long enough to touch his chin, his clothes are covered in dirt and dried paint. Peeta is leaned in the back of the car, grabbing both of our guns. Haymitch walks up to my window, lightly tapping his thumb on the window, asking me to open it.

Before I can do so, Peeta has already hit the botton and my window is rolling down. The strong scent of alcohol takes over Peeta's car, covering up the previous smell of the maple car freshener Peeta had just bought. "You two are the Mellarks, right?" The mans voice is very low, making me feel uncomfortable. I refuse to look at him, considering he is right beside me and looking at him would only seem rude from what I was taught.

"Yes, sir," Peeta says, reaching over me to shake the mans hand. "I'm Peeta and this is my wife, Katniss. You live far from town, it must take forever to go get supplies for your home." I finally give in and look at him, seeing his home under repair behind him. He has wooden boards covering up his windows, stands of guns on his front porch.

"Naw, I barely go to town," Haymitch says with a wave of his hand. "I live out here for a reason, boy. That reason was to get away from all the town had. I have crops growing to feed me, geese in the back yard to keep my company and a shooting range to have something to do when I'm bored. What could the town give me that I don't already have?"

I decide its my time to speak. "Maybe a wife?" Peeta and Haymitch both turn towards me at the exact same time, the shock on Peeta's face isn't hard to notice but whatever Haymitch has on his own, I can't quite make out. I bite the inside of my mouth, hoping someone will say _something_ so that this awkward silence will just be over with. Finally, Peeta clears his throat and gets out of the car.

Haymitch watches him make his way to the barn for a minute before turning back his attention to me. "You and Peeta were arranged in marriage, am I right?" He asks softly, not in his usual booming voice. I nod my head. "Well, so was I at one point. She died about three years ago in a car accident, at least that's what Mayor Snow told me." He opens my car door for me, holding out a hand to help me out.

Mayor Snow was known to tell lies, there could have been many ways Haymitch's wife died, but I wasn't going to go into all of that, after all, I had just met the man. We both walk silently to the barn, not even sending each other a glace. Once I get inside, I see that Peeta is loading his gun, a pair of Earmuffs on his head.

I walk over to stand beside him, opening up my gun case that my dad had bought me for my birthday only years ago. This was something I was going to keep forever. "What were you and Haymitch talking about?" Peeta asks, putting some goggles over his eyes. I shake my head, its not like he could hear me if I were to reply anyways with the huge Earmuffs on.

He turns away from me and walks towards one of the stables. He looks down at both of his feet, moving one slightly in front of the other before turning his gun off of safe. The target in front of him was made to be a zombie, it had blood running down its face, green eyes that looked nothing like a normal humans. I shake my head out of the thought and turn back to my task, putting on the same safety equipment that Peeta wears.

Soon, I hear shots fired. "That was good," Haymitch says. I look up to find him standing in the door of the barn, admiring Peeta's aim. I don't even bothering looking at where Peeta had shot the target, I knew it would either be right in the head or in the stomach, it was always there with Peeta Mellark. "Boy, who taught you how to shoot like that?"

"My father," Peeta reply's. I can hear the click of a newly loaded gun and it makes me smile a bit. It had been forever since we have gotten to shoot, Our guns had been stored in the attack for who knows how long. As I'm strapping my goggles on, I notice something moving past the barn.

"Hey Haymitch," I call over my shoulder. "I just saw something move past the barn, do you have any clue what it might be?" It's silent for a moment as the man thinks it through, then finally he lets out a loud laugh. I turn towards him with my eyebrows lifted, what was wrong with this man?

"That's Buttercup, my wife bought him," Peeta looks at him when he says the word wife, the same expression on his face as I have on mine. "Its a cat, that damn thing is annoying but I couldn't find it in me to sell him, since he was hers." I found it odd that he was telling Peeta and I all of this, we had after all, just met him. But I guess since we both related, in an arranged marriage, he felt it was right to tell us. "How about you two take him for me? He can get you ready for children."

I see Peeta smile at him. It was known that he has always wanted children, he told me this when we were arranged, but I thought nothing of it. Kids weren't in my future, never were, never will be. There have been times that I swear I heard Peeta mention something about us having kids. Sometimes he would say, "What do you think would have happened if we were told to have kids?" or, "You've never wanted kids, Katniss?" Basic stuff that he thinks I don't notice.

It seems Peeta knows what I'm thinking about. "Katniss doesn't want kids," I feel him standing beside me now, the soft fabric of his shirt brushing against the bare skin of my arm. "Anyway, its not like we were going to have any, we aren't in love." Peeta carefully puts his gun in its case, looking at me as he does so. "Hey Haymitch, mind showing me those geese of yours?"

The old man chuckles. "Sure, I'd be happy to," he says. Peeta sends me one last glace before leaving me alone in the quiet barn. I kind of feel relieved when he's gone, I needed time to shoot by myself, eyes on me would only be a distraction. The target in front of me was the exact same as Peeta's was, only it is a woman.

I turn my safety off, positioning the gun in front of me. I stare at my target for a few minutes, the way its eyes look at me sends chills down my spine. Also the thought of how these things were out there somewhere. How they wouldn't be standing still like this one, no, they'd be moving. I carefully lay my finger on the trigger, making sure that I don't send the bullet too early. I take in a deep breath, quickly pressing my finger down.

The gun goes off and a bullet is sent through the air. I don't even notice my eyes are closed until I'm ready to shoot the next one. I turn on my safety, stepping over the stable door to go get a look at my target. I sigh when I find the bullet had hit its left arm. I look over at Peeta's beside me, his was exactly in the middle of its head. I used to shoot better than Peeta, what could have happened? "You know you're not supposed to be back there, right?" I look over my shoulder to find a tall, blonde haired man. He has a cowboy hat on the top of his head, a bale of hay in his arms.

"Who said that you're the boss?" I snap at him, removing my target from the hook it hangs on. I wasn't proud of it, and I was sure as hell not letting Peeta see it, all he would do is try to help me get a better aim. I ball the target up, throwing it into the near by trash bin. The man was still watching me as I got out of the horse stable, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"I say I'm the boss, who even let you in here?" He asks, reaching down and pulling out my target from the garbage. I wrinkle my nose in disgust, this place was home to geese and whatever ate that hay, who knows what is in that trash. He unballs the paper, the hay bale underneath his free arm. He chuckles. "You really suck at shooting, don't you?"

I let out a fake laugh and lean over, trying to snatch the paper out of his hands only to lead into him pulling away from me, holding it high in the air. "Haymitch let me in here for your information," I jump up trying to get the target back but he just laughs at me until I give up. "Who are you?"

He smiles at me, throwing the paper over his shoulder, it landing back in the trash can. "Cato," He holds out his hand to me but I refuse to take it, he notices this and runs it through his hair instead. "I'm Haymitch's nephew, I help work at the range over the summer, you're the first customer we've had in weeks."

I take a look at the barn and chuckle. "I wonder why."

"Why are you here anyways?" He cocks an eyebrow at me, motioning towards my body. "Girls usually don't come here, especially girls who dress like you, why the hell did you wear a dress?" I look down at my purple gown, I didn't have time to change before we came here. This is what I wore to my meeting with Mayor Snow.

"I didn't have time to change out of it, all right?" I spit at him, buckling my gun inside it's case. Grabbing Peeta's with my free hand, I head towards the car, very ready to get home and get in bed. Just as I'm opening the back door, Cato shuts it, watching me carefully.

"Why do you have two guns?" The hay is out of his arms and for some reason just the thought of him carrying it over here, makes me smile. He taps Peeta's case a few times, an effort to get my attention. I part my lips to speak but see there is no need when I see Peeta and Haymitch emerging from behind the house, laughing loudly to one another.

Cato turns to look at them, confusion coming across his face. "Cato, when did you get here?" Haymitch yells over to us, running over to meet up with his nephew. Haymitch looks over at me and smiles. "Looks like you've met the girl, she's sweet isn't she?" I give him a slight grin before opening the door again, giving Cato a small push to get him out of my way.

Soon, Peeta is by my side trying to help my load the guns in the car. "Get a good shot?" He asks, opening each case and checking to see if the guns are on safe. I let out a sigh of relief when I notice mine is. Peeta smells of alcohol and its very hard to concentrate on what he is saying, because I'm starting to think him and Haymitch were in the back drinking.

"Have you been drinking?" Whatever conversation Cato and Haymitch were having is now over and they are staring at me, its as if I had admitted to killing someone. Peeta shakes his head at me, his eyes wide. I can always tell when Peeta is lying and when he isn't, and right now, he isn't. "Okay, good because I need you to drive." I stare up at the sky and see that it is starting to turn dark, I wasn't good at driving in the dark.

"Peeta, this is Cato," Haymitch speaks, ignoring everything I had just said. "My nephew."

Peeta looks at me before taking the hand of Cato, his usual smile on his face. "Peeta?" Cato asks, lifting an eyebrow at him. "Like Peeta Mellark? Didn't you get an arranged marriage?" Peeta looks over at his shoulder at me, offering Cato a nod.

"Yes." He simply says, not involving me in this mess and I'm very thankful. They talk for a while about guns, knives and for a small about of time, about me. Cato had said something about me being feisty, receiving a laugh from both Peeta and Haymitch. I hated that kid so much at the moment, I barley knew him but he really got under my skin so far.

"So, why did y'all come here?" Cato asks Peeta, crossing his arms over his chest, covering up his _Haymitch Abernathy's Shooting Range _tag. I move over to stand over by Peeta now, ready to start talking just in case he said something to Cato that he didn't need to know. Cato's eyes fall on me and he tries to hold back a smile.

Peeta looks down at me. "We were a little rusty, we haven't been shooting in a while, Katniss suggested that we go." Peeta always knew what to say, thank goodness he did because I would have probably made up something that Cato wouldn't believe. "I think we should get going, its dark."

Peeta and Haymitch exchange a short goodbye as I get inside the car. I'm shutting my door when Cato grabs it, his fingers inches away from being closed in the door. I roll my eyes when his smiling face comes into my view. "Wanted to say goodbye to you, and tell you that know why you came here tonight," He smirks. "Zombies? I don't get it."

"Ask Mayor Snow because I'm just as clueless as you," I tell him truthfully, leaning over and pulling my door shut. He stares at me for a minute through the rolled up window before waving goodbye and walking over to Haymitch and Peeta. A few minutes later, Peeta is in the car, starting it up.

We both sit in silence as I flip through the radio stations, trying to find a song that I at least know on. I give up when I start to hear the same song playing on each station. "Katniss, why didn't you tell me about your target?" Peeta asks softly, his eyes locked on the road ahead. When I don't answer, he takes it as a sign to continue. "Cato told me you hit the arm, do you need hel-"

"No." I cut him off prematurely, bringing my legs to my chest and wrapping my arms tightly around them, suddenly feeling freezing cold. "Peeta, I'm just a little rusty, I don't need your help. After all, I used to be better than you." He shakes his head at the windshield. I think I had just made him mad, when Peeta is mad, he won't talk. Unlike me who wants to start a fight.

When we are home, I let out a sigh of relief. Peeta grabs both of our guns out of the car while I go upstairs to take a quick shower. The way the water feels on my back gets me to thinking, what if during all of this zombie stuff, we can't shower? I wash my body and jump out of the shower, my body feeling like jello from how hot the water was on my freezing skin.

When I walk out into our room, Peeta is laid in the bed already, a pillow covering his head. Mayor Snow had given us a house with one room, meaning we have to sleep together. I would sleep on the couch but of course, that is frowned upon and you never know if there are cameras in the house or not. Its not like Peeta bothers me, we both just sleep, well, he does while I stare up at the ceiling until morning. If I close my eyes, I know I will have the same dream over and over. Me being taken away from my family.

There has only been one time I had a full nights sleep. I was screaming and Peeta woke me up, pulling me into his lap, trying to calm me down. I feel asleep in his arms and that, somehow, made it better for me. I open my dresser that is beside Peeta's side of the bed, pulling out some pajamas for tonight. When I'm done getting changed, I slip under the cold covers of the bed, a chill running through my body since my hair was still wet. I grab my IPod from my side table, sticking the earplugs in my ears. This was how I fell asleep every night, listening to old music that I remember hearing when I was younger.

Peeta shifts in the bed, probably facing my back right now. His voice is soft as he starts to ask me if I'm awake. "Katniss, are you okay?" I'm just about to press play when he asks this, bringing me to a complete stop. I look over my shoulder at him, slowly turning on my side so that I'm facing him now. His blue eyes are wide awake, maybe he would stay up with me tonight.

"I'm fine." I reply. "What about you, why are you still awake?" When he doesn't answer right away, I know that something is wrong. Peeta usually couldn't sleep when he had something on his mind or when he was hiding something, and most of the time, it was about or from me. "Peeta?"

"I..I got a call from my parents while you were in the shower," he says this slowly, making it hurt even more that he actually heard from his parents. "They said they are with Gale in Alabama right now, they have people with them that know about the zombies. Annie, Finnick, Johanna and Glimmer I think is who they said."

"That's great, Peeta," I manage to choke out. "I'm really happy you've heard from your parents."

Realization washes over his face. "Oh shit, no Katniss I wasn't finished yet, please don't cry," He begs, trying to think of something to do to comfort me other than touching me. "Your parents and Prim are there too, at least that's what my father said."

My mouth drops open. My parents are safe.

* * *

**Thanks for the Reviews, Favorites and Alerts they mean so much. Do you think I can get more Reviews for this chapter? Maybe?**


	3. Chapter 3

When I wake up the next morning, I discover loads of packed bags stacked high on the floor, drawers opened in every part of the room, shirts and pants hanging out of them. The curtains are opened, revealing the morning sun, the light shining over our bed. Peeta was usually asleep when I got up, I guess he is determined to get out of here.

I'm about to get out of bed but a voice stops me, "You can sleep in longer if you'd like," Peeta says, holding a few boxes in his arms. "Portia is coming in an hour, I told her to pack some clothes, you'll let her borrow yours if she doesn't have enough, right?" I nod, not feeling like arguing with him this morning.

"But I'm not sleeping in, I have to tell Thom where we are going," I inform him, letting my feet hit the soft rug that lays underneath the bed. "You don't think Gale told him already, do you?" Gale and Thom used to be close when they worked together at the gas station across the road, they grew apart once Gale quit for some better job.

I rush over to one of the open drawers, pulling out a shirt followed by a pair of sweat pants, that look clean, out of the laundry bin. Peeta quickly turns away when I pull my shirt over my head, throwing it somewhere in the room before sliding on the clean one. "I doubt Gale told him," He finally speaks, his back still turned towards me. "They aren't really friends anymore, remember?"

I slip on my pants, grabbing my phone from the bedside table. "I remember," I throw my hair up in a pony tail, not having enough time to put it in my usual braid. "Call me once you're ready to leave, I will try to get back here as fast as possible." I move in front of him, his eyes growing wide when he first sees me. "I'm dressed, Peeta."

He looks relieved when I say that but doesn't say anything more, instead, he turns from me, picking out more clothes from the drawers. I shout him a quick goodbye, hurrying down the stairs. As I step outside, I see Portia getting out of her car, a suitcase following behind her. She doesn't notice me at first, which explains why she is whispering little things to herself that I can't quite make out.

"Hey Portia," I say as I walk over to my own car, unlocking it. Her head pops up from where it was hanging down, staring at the ground underneath her. She gives me a nervous smile, her suitcase getting caught in one of the cracks of the gravel. She gives it a kick, sending it flying slightly in the air, making me laugh.

"Hello Mrs. Mellark," She says. "Do you know why Mister Mellark wanted me to bring clothes today?" I stare at her for a moment, there was too much to explain, she would have to ask Peeta. So I just shrug my shoulders, leaning down to sit in the black seat of my car, waving her goodbye before driving off.

I set my phone in the empty seat beside me just in case I get a call from anyone important, like Thom. When I get out of our neighborhood, I notice that there are barley any cars on the road. Counting, I only get seven, and that's including mine. Who knows where everyone has gone, its not like Snow told everyone that we were in a zombie apocalypse. He wouldn't do that.

As I am driving towards town I realize something, I'm not allowed to leave the house without Peeta. _Shit._ While still keeping my eyes locked on the road, I lean over to the passengers side, reaching for my cell phone. Once I get it, I press number 1, knowing that Peeta is on speed dial thanks to Portia. I'm biting on my bottom lip as three rings go by. I'm about to hang up on the fifth, but then his voice comes through the speaker phone, "Hello?"

"Thank God! I thought you weren't going to answer!" I scream into the phone. I can just picture him wincing at my voice like he always does when I scream. "I'm not allowed to be out here alone without you, come get me before I get pulled over." I'm tapping my nails nervously on the steering wheel, constantly looking in my rear view mirror for a police car.

The line is silent and fear washes over me as I remember I sometimes lose connection, but soon he speaks again, "Shit, I forgot," He says, and you can just hear him grab his car keys. "Which road are you on?" Road? I never used any of that, I knew nothing about this town, that was one of the reasons Peeta was helpful.

"Uh," I look out my window to find a car shop called, Homes'. "I'm by Homes' car shop, I don't know the road, Peeta, I only know I've been through it before to go see Thom and Gale." I pull off of the road and park my car, dunking down a small bit in an attempt not to get noticed. "Just please get here fast, I don't want to get pulled over by Officer Coin, she hates me enough already."

I can hear him start up his car, giving me a small bit of relief. "I'll be there in a few minutes," He says. "Stay where you are, Katniss. I know you and you are very bad at getting caught up in something else. If anyone tells you to get out of the car, don't do it, understand?"

I sigh, "Fine. I'll stay in the damn car, now hurry up and get here before I actually do get out of the car," I snap at him, seeing that employes are already starting to notice me. I hang up then, nervous when I see a man walking up to my car, motioning for me to roll down my window. I do as he says and lift an eyebrow when I notice the huge smile on his face.

"Hello, can I help you with something?" The way he says this to me is flirty, making me feel all gross inside. He has a toothpick hanging out of the side of his mouth, a baseball hat on his head with brown hair slightly sticking out on the sides. "I'm Marvel." He winks. I purposely bring my left hand up to scratch my neck, my engagement ring getting hit by the light of the sun, reflecting on his face.

He stares at it with his mouth hanging open, "You're married?" The man asks.

Just as I'm about to speak, the sound of a car door slamming interrupts me. I look over my shoulder to see Peeta, he is wearing a sweat shirt that is way to big for him and some black ray bans that his friend, Delly, had gotten him for Christmas a few years back. Marvel stares up at him as he walks towards my opened window. Peeta was almost a head bigger than him, it made me smile.

"Come on, Katniss, we need to get a move on," After saying that, Peeta turns to Marvel, holding out a hand to him. "Peeta Mellark, you work here?" Marvel doesn't hesitate before taking my husbands hand. I watch him tell Peeta his own name, stating that he was the manager here with a smile that reached his ears.

They talk for a few minutes before Peeta says that we really need to get going. "Where are you guys headed?" Marvel asks, his hands being dropped in his pockets. His gaze travels between Peeta and I, as if one of us was going to answer at any second. I move past the two of them, jumping into Peeta's car. Portia was seated in the back drawing something in her notebook that she refused to let any human being see, but Peeta was an exception because she has shown him the book about three times as I recall, it could be more.

Peeta and Portia were close, they had been every since we hired her for a 'maid' as Mayor Snow called her. She wasn't just that though, yes she helped out around the house, but she also was someone Peeta and I could talk to about the arranged marriage, when we fought, she split it up. When we disagreed she would choose the side that made the most since, it was mostly Peeta of course, it always is.

Through the window I can see Peeta waving bye to Marvel before he gets inside the car, handing me my keys. "Forgot these," He holds them up before setting them down in my extended hand. "Not like you need them but if we ever come back here, you might want that car back."

* * *

I get out of the car, my eyes locked on the shut down gas station. Paper was flying throughout the abandoned street, a sigh is taped to the door, saying that they had gotten shut down due to lack of customers. My stomach is tight. One of my closest friends was, from what I know of, gone. I fight the tears that try and take over. I had been living here since I was four, how could I miss this place being closed down?

I shake my head at what is left of my childhood. I turn back towards Peeta to see a piece of paper in his hands, he is holding it up to try to get my attention. "Hey, I forgot to tell you, the letter from Gale came in today." He shouts out to me and smiles when I start to jog over. I rip the paper from his hands, quickly tearing through it with my finger nail.

Portia is peering over my shoulder as I slowly unfold the letter, the big messy hand writing of my best friend coming into view.

_Catnip,_

_I'm sure you know by now what's going on by now. We have set up camp in Alabama, Madge's mother is here and we can't find her, she refuses to leave until she shows up. I have threated to leave her here many times but everyone begs for us to stay, saying that I would regret leaving her. I know you and Peeta are probably on your way now, just try to find us. We have a radio signal going out every three hours, when you're half way here you'll probably be able to hear it. We'll be waiting. _

_Yours truely,_

_Gale Hawthorne._

The paper had somehow gotten crumbled in my hands. I guess I was holding way to tightly to it, now I was angry at myself for ruining the only thing I had of my best friend at the moment. I was so into the letter that I didn't even notice that the car was moving, how Peeta's eyes were glued to the road when I thought they were on the paper along with mine.

"What's it say?" He asks, sending me a quick glace. My eyes fall back on the oh so familiar handwriting. I read it once more in my mind, then out load to him, trying to put happiness in my voice. I know he can tell its fake; that I'm actually sad. But he doesn't say anything about it, just focus's on the road.

I stare out the window through most of the car ride. My mind is on Gale most of the time, thinking about what it will be like living through this, if I maybe couldn't survive this.

If Snow was right.

* * *

**Thanks for all of the Reviews, Alerts and Favorites! Sorry that I have kept you waiting! And I'm also really sorry that this chapter is shorter than the others! Review? **


End file.
